Brain Power

Looking at learning from and internal perspective is a lot more intricate than just looking at a theory or how that theory is carried out and applied in a classroom environment. Historically, the importance of the brain and understanding of how the brain processes information itself has gone through a transformation of sorts.

Earlier in the process of mummification, the brain was removed because was little known about its core value in how a human being functions. As decades progressed so did theoretical ideologies of what the brain did, how it was designed and its functionality.

This is really more detailed that you would expect just because each decade brought more information to the forefront as relevant to human behavior and outcomes. This is was the only way that allowed some theorist to understand how the brain categorized information and manifested it into action, by looking at how people behave (B.F. Skinner and his contemporaries were intricate in looking at the brain as just a component that received information and released info).

What is so interesting, is that with each passing decade more information was available in viewing the brain as more than just a component to learning outcomes, but as a filter as a learner obtains more information and breaks it down into more relevant pieces to reflective their personal human experience. It is not just about the manifestation of a behavior, but the effect as separate pieces that work together to influence the whole learning experience. The Triune brain idea looked at the brain as being three distinct parts; reptilian, mammalian and neo-cortex. This took on a more evaluational perception that each part is effected by environment, challenge and the feelings that are going on during the learning experience or (instinct, cognitive/comprehension, thinking order).

How is this relevant? This is going back to helping us as instructors understand that in order to be effective in the classroom that there needs to be an environment that facilitates the learning process in a way that is safe, orderly and encourages emotionally stable opportunities to put into practice what is learned. This is amazing!!!! There is research being conducted that looks at the productivity of brain function in classroom environments that support emotional development and healthy (safe) environments where VARIETY of learning strategies can be practices. LINEAR LEARNING APPROACHES ARE NOT EFFECTIVE BUT HINDER THE PRODUCTION HE HEALTHY AND VIBRATE BRAIN ACTIVITY!

For multiple parents who have to deal with diagnoses of children who are labeled ADD or ADHD this is a Godsend. When there are environments were movement is not encouraged or classrooms that are stagnate in facilitating true learning in modeled, you have under performing children/adults. Exploration, experimentation and discovery is where the learner begins to take hold of the information and makes it relevant to their own lives and experiences.

I am almost in tears as I write this blog because all of our schools are modeled after rote learning approaches. This stagnates the brain's ability to development cognitively (comprehension) and operates against the brain's function in making information relevant and applicable to the overall learning process. We are paralyzing our children/adult's capacity to THINK BIG by sterilizing the environment so much that nothing will grow. In the understanding of how the brain solidifies this information into positive learning experiences, Reardon, introduces 9 compatible learning principles:

• parallel processing
• learning engages the ENTIRE physiology
• The search for meaning is innate in patterning
• emotions are critical to patterning
• every brain simultaneously perceives parts and wholes
• learning involves both by focused attention and peripheral perception (learning takes place in between breaks)
• the brain remembers best when embedded in contextual memory (in relationship to the learning and the emotional state they were in when they learned /received the information
• learning is enhanced by challenge and impeded by threats (creativity is heightened when the environment supports it. When it is threatened/ stressed, it decreases and becomes stagnated)
• EACH BRAIN IS UNIQUE. NO ONE learns the same way. Each person has a distinct way in processing information and making the information relevant to them in their learning process.

Amazing! So not being in your right mind has its benefits! LOL

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX9-5FxoNS0&feature=related

Emotional Sound

Since last week's class I have been in deep thought about what how we learn effects how we communicate with other people. It has been more reflective of how I see myself and my relevance as an instructor and as a human being. I know that this may sound intricate and over the top but in actuality, it isn't. Looking at the formation of Multiple intelligence and the cycle of learning (exposure) that the learner goes through, I began to look at the process of learning and connection that I develop with my students.

I am interpersonal and linguistic and have known that for sometime. However, as I didn't realize that it was ok to use these pieces to my benefit until I left home and attended a HBCU(Historical Black College or University-founded before the Civil War). I was away from home, living in OHIO and learned that my sensitivity to people and how they felt was just a part of who I was (am). I discovered that I had the distinct abililty to talk to anyone and pick up on how people felt, what they needed and how to address that need. As I have grown, I am learning the perfecting your emotional intelligence has everything with knowing who you are and how you function from situation to situation. It doesn't mean that you are always "in your feelings", but it helps you to gauge your starting point of where you are as a person.

I am a firm believer that how you learn and process information has everything to do with how you convey that information to others. I am more conscious now of making sure that I am aware of how I process info effects the outcomes of my students and ultimately the choices they make. This again brings me full circle to Emotional Intelligence as described by Daniel Goleman.

I was amazed at the comparisons between those who have excelled in academics were not a good indicator if they were successful in life. In fact, those who were "successful" were those who were not as academically successful but were more emotionally tuned into their environments and showed greater overall life success. Education places such value on academic acheivement that those children who are more skilled in emotional responses, such as controlling their reactions to disappointments, critical thinking and abililty to empathize with peers are not viewed as possessing a valuable skill. Grades detemine the effectiveness of whether a concept or competency is understood. However if a child/adult has the wherewithal to be less compulsive in making decisions and is more reflective in understanding the tone of environment surrounding a situation it is ignored or dismissed.

The strongest piece of this concept is the fact that we aren't making the smooth transition from academic to emotional intelligence and function. People who are able to perform what the article referred to as "dutiful" in the heart of a system gives NO determination of whether that individual will be able to have the kind of resiliance when the winds of life begin to rage. If we decide to change the definition of what brilliance is and look at the social stability of adults and children, we can change the face of education as we know it. I know it may sound far fetched but it is definitely possible. If we had work environments made up of people who were more aware of how their actions effected the overall success of a company, these personal values will be manifested in the work perfomed and the relationships that are formed.

When looking at the foundation of emotional intelligence, self help books came to mind. The objective is to provide steps to applying emotional tools that help people overcome the issues of life; while applying the principles in an academic format. Since this is the case, how can the success of theses various self-help principles be gaged as effective in changing the emotional awareness/intelligence of those who uses these tools to become more emotionally aware?

In so many other situations, it looks like we value academic achievement above growth and awareness. Gardner's idea that if we took the time to help children areas where they flourish and have the potential to excel that ultimately they can strengthen their own abilities to achieve and master. What a concept; grown and progress through skill assessment and application! Knowing who you are has everything to do with how you function as a human being and how you effect the lives of others.

Here is a link that I thought would be interesting to look regarding Emotional Intelligence in the workplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7NcSiOiy4o&feature=related

Learning Styles and Models

Interestingly enough as I was preparing this blog, I also just finished teaching a class for our TANF customers on Learning Styles. The Kolb model was used as a foundation regarding the formal distinct learning styles (preferences) and then restructured by Bernice McCarthy (1980) who came up with 4MAT learning for grades K-12. What is so funny is that while I was giving instruction to my class, I started to think about how my learning style (s) hinder for motivate my teaching styles. Like that of the generational classrooms, we have to take into consideration that every class of learners does not learn like you or think like the instructor thinks.

I had a chance to take the VAK on vark-learn.com and I was humored and surprised. It classified me with Multimodoal, Aural and Reading and Writing preferences for learning. I do love notes, textbooks, manuals, information and written documentation. However, the description made it seem as though I sit in front of Office Max stores and Libraries waiting to jump the first person with a dictionary or a handout in tow! I do converts notes that I write into well scripted detailed (color coded-pen and highlighted) documents with diagrams and the like so that I can get a better picture of the concepts that are being discussed. It helps me to make it relevant to me today so that I can use it more effectively tomorrow. the Aural strategy pegged me as a class/workshop attending , picture toting (viewing), sitting in corner of my home or quiet placed reciting information and talking to myself! LOL ( I do, but not loud enough so others can hear me...LOL)

Looking over how I learn, I notice that I sometimes communicate in the same way. I try to use my awareness with how my brain works to make it work for those who are attending my classes. Not everyone loves statistical information or diagrams, but I try to do all that I can to take what has made me excited and create an excitement in the hearts and minds of my students. Knowing those who are more abstract in learning, bombarding them with concrete experiences could hinder their abilities to see themselves in the learning process or as carriers of the information for future success!

My son is a very emotional converging/accommodating learner and because I am more converging and abstract (sometimes reflective) I have to think like he thinks in order to get him to understand those concepts and not get flustered in the process. Because I have a son who is dyslexic, it is important that I take things that are simple for me to understand because of how I process it to roll it over and translate it into something that is easier for him and not as abstract. Concrete concepts work for him more than those that are ambiguous. He can easily get confused and not want to do it (whatever it is) at all.

Learning experiences that match me completely is when I have taken a class that allows me permission to use all my love for information gathering, aural study strategies to help people help themselves learn more technical academic concepts. IT MAKES ME GIDDY when I had the opportunity to attend a class regarding Inductive study techniques. You take words that are repeated in a text and with colored pencils identify them with a shape or something that is reflective of that word. Then you as the following questions, who, what, where, when ,why and how. You use these questions and the symbols in the text to identify the context of the passage and the importance of the content! I LOVED IT. Because of this, I reclaimed my nerd status and wear it proudly.

There was an instance where I was given as assignment by my instructor, and the directives were not clear. She was a great instructor, however she made the assignment so ambiguous and choppy that my linear mind could not get it together. We had to write a paper on an experience that needed mediation between two parties. She gave no other info but, "Do it how you see the concepts working in the situation". I was stumped. I didn't know what to do or how to do it, because I needed clear precise directives on the how. I went to her on several occasions and she always put it back on me, " You know the situation, just write on what you think according to the text would have been the best solution" AAAGGGHHH!!! Completely paralyzed! Eventually, I did the paper with ambiguous instructions and got it done. That was the most difficult paper for me to write in my whole life. Her learning style ended up being the way that the class was conducted and it wore me out something awful! I did learn, that instruction and self reflection are so crucial as you share with different populations of people who have different approaches to learning you can't afford to TEACH how you LEARN. You loose a lot of people that way and they walk away from the experience feeling like they aren't as smart as their counterparts.

I try to incorporate this into every class that I teach. All people process information different and you have to accommodate them best you can. For those who are more information focused, give them handouts and statistics; those who are hands on learners, give them opportunities to work on the project or use a handout. Those who learn by visual stimulus, overheads, PowerPoint and other visual examples. I have had student who during a lecture are drawing pictures. But when I ask them questions about the information, they are well engaged and actively participate. You have to pay attention to the order of your class and continue to switch up in between concepts to gain better cohesion and facilitation of information!

What am I now?

ok...So I have been reading and I came across some interesting information as it relates to generational integration in training sessions/classrooms. Everyone is there! Transitionalist want you to suck it up and deal with what comes. The Baby-Boomers have this concerned fear that once you get the training that you will envitably leave the workplace and nulify your loyalty to the company and your other coworkers. The Gen Xer's are trying to find out how will this all play out in the end and if the training that is offered or available has the potential to progress us forward and into the next dimension of our careers. Then those precious Millenials know that training is a part of growth and are looking for a good time in the process of learning.


This is an interesting look at the dynamics of classroom design but also how as a facilitator you need to be aware of the commonality that you share with those whom you represent (generationally) and how you communicated those needs and address them appropiately. As a Gen Xer with friend, colleagues in each generation, I see first hand the effects on how they view their value in the classroom and if I know what I am talking about when we discuss events of the hour. My generation was the premiere generation to increase the teen pregnancy rate in the US than any other generation in history. We are grandparents in our late 30's and early 40's with retirement no where in sight. Our understanding of who we are and the effectiveness of our presence in the workplace is sometimes overshadowed by those who have "traveled this way before" or see our contributions as less than stellar.



Using the classroom as a community glue works. It makes you create the kind of environment that will be condusive for others while at the same time making you work harder to find the needs of the populations and pieces in the confines of the curriculum that will have long lasting and pivotal effects on how people operate, move and grow.

Training for Life

Looking at possibilities for the final project, I have come up with a most interest scenerio; not necessarily different from my everyday duties as a career facilitator, but with a distinct twist. I am making an attempt (regardless of how fictional) to train Case Managers (Business Development Associates) who assist TANF customers with life resources, to improve their participation rates by incorporating creative communication techniques.



This will be a 3 day workshop that will incorporate case study, theoritical applications and communication assessments to help them figure out how they communicate. I will also make the attempt to assess them on communal biases (any ideologies or theories they currently are practicing with our customers. These biases may not have an concrete theoretical application, but the passing down of "survival tactics" from other colleagues may prove to be instrumental in how they approach problem solving strategies with our customer and how they may communicate with them (verbally or non verbals). The ultimate goal is to change the culture of the Department of Human Services by re-introducing the human component back into service to the community and the City's objective of getting people working in Denver County.

Scope: The subject will begin with the definition of who our TANF customers are; i.e education, goals, barriers, family structures. If we start with the current state of the population we can address what difficulties we have seen in communication styles and customer expectation as it relates to Federal and County guidelines. Building relationships and providing essential boundaries to the working relationship to get the expected result, activity participation and completion.

Depth: Because Workforce Development wants to eradicate the "social services stigma" to make this population employable, we will have to cover specific communication approaches in the allotted time to cover the essentials. We will cover individual communication styles and biases, mirroring, how to handle confrontation without being confrontational and every customer is not the same.

Centrality and Balance: Communication is a broad subject matter, so we will spend time on biases and communication styles and who is our customer. This will give us a better idea of knowing what is working and what is causing TANF customers from fully participating and completing work activities. There must still be a balance is providing quality communication/ relationship building without trying to become our customer's "buddies". The building of relationships with customers based on a "communication partner" framework.

Sequence: This is interesting. Covering the "who is our customer/ personal biases." Seems to be the most effective starting point. I am sure that as I look at this more closely, I will find something else that will take presidence over this starting point. We may need to also look at the foundation of "what is customer service and what is communication" as a foundational starting point and then branch out into styles, responsibility and the human identification component.

Gap: What is being left out? Hmmm, that is an interesting one. In order for the Case Managers to facilitate more effective communication strategies, the supervisory leadership needs to have the skills in place also so that they will be able to implement and see the effects of the change on participation rates and customer satisfaction. If the leadership is not instructed as well, we will have a repeat of trainings that have been manditory for the workers and not taken seriously or considered relevant to management. Communication styles and approaches must practiced by leadership to be followed and implemented by frontline staff. An additional training will need to be done with supervisors and an progression of implementation effects to be reviewed in 30 days from the completion of the initial training.

Intention: The intention is that the Case Managers will walk away with more effective communication tools in dealing with TANF customers with the results of higher participation rates. However, it is a good chance that it will end up that some Associates will begin to share how management doesn't make it easy to implement new ideas for participation rates and will spend the time doing damage control and justifying the necessity of the training all together. However, again, it could end up a gripe session about how all our customers are, "liars, deceitful, and people trying to abuse the system". We will have to go back to concrete definitions of what is, what isn't and what we as a group want it to look like and then formulation a plan and a strategy to make it happen.

In a perfect world this would be amazing and everyone would be self-sufficient, however the animal itself has never been tamed for quite sometime. In taking on this huge task, I hope that I am not leaving out anything concrete (that would not be good) LOL.

When mediocrity meets demand

When entering into a training situation, it is quite easy to fall prey to doing enough to "get by" than to challenge yourself to reach deeper to do more. In a conversation with a dear colleague, we discussed the team dynamic of proactive approaches vs. reactive survival. When you are working with a population of people, it is really easy to become a manifestation of that population. If you are working with professional people, the push is to become as professional as possible in your approach, delivery and prep time. If you are working with population of people that are more "challenging" (i.e lack certain education, have various employment boundaries, mental health issues or potentially socially deviant behaviors) the push becomes to lower the standard of excellence to settle for "whatever".

This is the challenge that I am currently having on our training team. We have phenomenal curriculum, top rated information and NOW some technical tools to make that transition to professional more feasable, however, we don't have the internal drive from our leadership to make this a priority.

The masses can only excel as far as the leadership is willing to go to make it a reality. If leadership does not deem the materials and the strategies in the classroom as crucial to the manifestion of career oriented and focused customers, then the likelihood of that becoming a reality is lost. You can never afford to be mediocre when you are facilitating a process or training the next level of new professionals. Demanding more of you as an individual and catalyst for change in the lives of people is a neccesity not an option. Knowing that you have the power in the information you share with others to kill dreams, fuel them or stall them is never a light thing and should never be considered as such!

Demand more of you so that mediocrity has no where to dwell. The cost is too high.

What is the motivation

Interestingly enough this week, I was a participant in a training that was structured to, "help me be a better prepared trainer for the AWANA program". Now the AWANA program is a christian based program for children that helps them learn of their faith and develop a relationship with God. The content of the material is so awesome and so exciting that I was expecting the same enthusiasm from the training presenter, but OOOO WEEE was I sadly mistaken.

As a trainer, it is really easy to take your expertise and make it the plum line for all training approaches and tools that should be used. However, I learned years ago from my training mentor that a good facilitator is one who not only knows the material but takes the time to learn from those for whom they are giving instruction. This information for me, has become a training principle for any class that I teach and to whatever audience I instruct. It is my golden rule.

This instructor was quite interesting to say the least. She was extremely prepared, knowledgeable and well versed on the subject matter, but never took into consideration her audience or the framework that those participating in this training already had under their belts. She was condescending, never answered the questions that were asked and took more pride in the information she had rather that if the instructional directives were applicable for those who were in the training. She cut people off and made individuals feel stupid and unimportant. She ended up spending almost 4 hours (yes, I said 4 complete hours of ongoing talking no one was permitted to ask a question, UNLESS she asked if there was a question). Many people left the training not having anymore information on the foundation of the program or how they should facilitate their classes for their age groups.

It took all I could to sit still and watch this travesty of phenomenal information loose its impact and effectiveness because the trainer was more concerned with the information that she had on her training agenda than the needs of those in her training session and the effect that it would have on those who would thus receive that instruction.

Training and facilitation is a multi-facet discipline that requires listening, sensitivity to the needs of those who are receiving instruction and flexibility. You have to risk not being right to make sure that those in your direct sphere of influence are encouraged and not discouraged. IT is not an opportunity to showcase all your expertise, education and fabulousness (hee hee); but a chance to open yourself up to a new learning and teaching experience that will broaden your horizons and help you to be a better more effective training professional.

It is the trainer or facilitator that sets the tone for the success of failure of a training session. So, what is your motivation?